The 34-year-old Belfast man who allegedly killed his wife in central Maine this week had spent much of his adult life working a series of high-profile engineering jobs, including for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, while also captaining his own 50-foot sailing boat on travels across the world, according to his LinkedIn page.
His 32-year-old wife appears to have spent some of her early life and professional career in France, where she studied business and worked in a variety of marketing and sales jobs, according to her own LinkedIn page.
It’s still unclear how Samuel and Margaux Whittemore met or finally ended up in the midcoast in recent years, and authorities have so far shared little other information about them or the killing.
But their social media accounts have provided some glimpse into the busy, international lives they both apparently led before things took a grim turn this week.
Together, the Whittemores traveled the globe, spending much time in the South Pacific and other exotic places, according to photos they shared on their Instagram pages.
This week, Maine State Police charged Samuel Whittemore with murdering his wife after her body was found Wednesday morning outside his mother’s home on Giles Road in Readfield, authorities said Thursday. The state medical examiner ruled her death was a homicide, but authorities have not released the cause.
Police also found 67-year-old Dorothy Whittemore, Samuel’s mother, injured inside the home, where she lived with his father, Henry Whittemore. She was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston with critical injuries but her health has been improving, police have said.
Samuel Whittemore was charged with murder and brought to a hospital in Augusta for an evaluation before being taken to Kennebec County Jail. He is expected to make his initial court appearance Friday afternoon.
After growing up in central Maine, Samuel Whittemore appears to have attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and went into engineering, most recently working on underwater equipment for an organization called Coral Gardeners, according to his LinkedIn page. He also held multiple patents for inventions and reported owning and sailing his boat, Havili, to far-flung places including Mexico and New Zealand. He does not have any previous criminal record in Maine.
The LinkedIn profiles for both him and Margaux Whittemore say they were currently living in Durango, Colorado, although police have said they lived in Belfast. The Whittemores are not listed on any recent property tax records in the midcoast city.
Both of Samuel Whittemore’s parents, Henry and Dorothy Whittemore, appear to be active community members who have done work for various conservation-oriented groups in Maine. Henry Whittemore was not inside the house at the time of the alleged killing, but arrived shortly after the incident occurred, police have said.
Attempts to reach the family were unsuccessful.
BDN writer Jules Walkup contributed reporting.
